Comfort Eating: Ways to Break the Cycle

Can you recall the reason for your last snack? What was your frame of mind? Many people comfort eat as a result of feelings of boredom, loneliness or stress. If serotonin levels are low, then the likelihood is that the feeling of vitality and well-being is also low. The body's response to this is to crave food that is high in sugar or saturated fat. The effects of the food will only be brief. A key to managing these feelings lies in keeping serotonin levels balanced and to keep snack food items healthy.

Eating when we are not hungry amounts to emotional eating and this can easily turn into a habit. Food can then become a form of comfort. Food items such as chocolate, popcorn and other snacks are often what the body craves, even when you are not hungry. Some eating problems can become extreme and can damage your health. If you suspect that anyone in your family is suffering from a serious eating problem, then it will be necessary to inform the doctor or other health care professional in order to receive help. By finding out the real problem behind the comfort eating, this can help to resolve the issue and even remove the need to comfort eat in future.

For some people who still feel the need to snack on bad food choices, they can practice certain techniques to help overcome comfort eating. For example, if you feel the need to eat, distract yourself by going out for a brief walk, or concentrate on a task around the house instead. Engaging in some exercise can also take away the body's desire for food and can make a person feel better about themselves too. The feeling that can come from these distraction techniques will last longer than any amount of comfort gained in eating. The opposite tends to be true if you comfort eat. You are more likely to feel guilty after eating chocolate, rather than felling satisfied.

If you learn to recognize the familiar feelings that come from comfort eating, you can counteract them by doing something you know will make you feel better. Listen to some music, engage in some exercise or just call a friend for a chat. These actions can help you to make comfort eating a thing of the past and help you to focus on eating when you are hungry, and making positive food choices.

Source:

http://www.sureslimuk.com/diet/Using-your-diet-to-avoid-emotional-eating.php